The college's board of trustees chose Malveaux to replace Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, who has led the historically black university since 2002. Malveaux will take over the private women's school amid a $50-million fundraising campaign.
Malveaux, who was not immediately available for comment, said in a written statement: "I am honored to have been chosen to lead an institution that will continue to educate and celebrate African-American women at our best."
Malveaux, a writer and syndicated columnist, has hosted talk-radio programs in Washington, D.C., New York, and her native San Francisco. Her articles appear regularly in USA Today, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Ms. Magazine, Essence and the Progressive. She serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Economic Policy Institute and Women Building for the Future. She earned a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in economics from Boston College. Malveaux focused her research on the labor market, public policy and the impact of policy on women and people of color.
Malveaux has designed educational and issue-based seminars and diversity training for Fortune 500 companies. She also co-edited the book Slipping Through the Cracks: The Status of Black Women and is the author of two collections of columns: Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: Perspectives of a Mad Economist and Wall Street, Main Street and the Side Street: A Mad Economist Takes A Stroll.
In her prepared statement before Bennett's news conference, Malveaux said the college "has played a pivotal role in civil-rights history, and Bennett Belles are women who have thoroughly inspired me. I have been blessed to develop a national platform as an activist and advocate for economic justice, access to education and the rights of African-American women, and it is from this platform that I am delighted to begin my time as Bennett College president."
Malveaux is also a frequent contributor to DiversityInc magazine. She penned the article "Diversity and the End of Eminence" as a guest columnist in DiversityInc's July/August 2006 issue.
Most recently Malveaux was a participant in our recent roundtable discussion, "Who REALLY Benefits From Work/Life?" which appears in the March 2007 issue.
DiversityInc Partner and Cofounder Luke Visconti is a member of the Bennett College Board of Trustees.
